Curating Events That Support Your Community.

Posted on August 16, 2011

One of the most valuable qualities a brick and mortar specialty retailer offers is care and concern for their own community. After all, by deciding to open and operate a store, the specialty retailer invites a neighborhood exchange. While the store offers a place to shop that supports the values and economy of a community, the community must also support the shop by shopping there. When the exchange is successful, locally owned businesses make great contributions by helping to create vibrant and engaged events that reflect their community’s interests and personality.

“In our town, people are motivated and inspired by good and we do our best to lead by example, all the while having fun. The focus of our events is on the culture and brand of the store while keeping a local focus and making sure there is some sort of give-back,” states Heather Higgins, founder and owner of Stone’s Throw in Madison, WI.

Some successful and memorable Stone’s Throw events that bringing the community together and tie-in local like-minded consumers –

Ride for Pie
Stone’s Throw organized a short, casual group bike ride that ended with FREE scrumptious pie! The ride meets at the store with the destination of a local bakery about 8 miles away. A nominal donation is requested and the fun benefits Dream Bikes, a local not-for-profit/used bicycle store strategically placed in low-income troubled communities with a mission to change the world, one kid and one bike at a time.

Paddle for the Polar Bears
Paddle boarding has become all the rage, especially in the Madison community where there are plenty of lakes. Stone’s Throw capitalized on this and partnered up with a local paddle retailer, Paddleboard Specialists to paddle for local good while having fun. Hour-long paddle boarding clinics were set up to introduce the sport. The event was called, Paddle for the Polar Bears. The mission was to raise funds for Madison, Wisconsin’s Henry Vilas Zoo. Fifty percent of all proceeds are donated toward building The Arctic Passage, a state-of-the-art new home for polar bears and seals. The Zoo is a free and highly educational resource for the Madison community.

Cooking Class with Chef Rob of Brasserie V
Stone’s Throw is located in a sweet little shopping district with lots of locally owned and operated independent stores and restaurants. They teamed up with one of their neighbors, Brasserie V and invited Chef Rob Grisham to teach their consumers about local produce. As well, he demonstrated how to prepare a gorgeous duck confit salad and delicious vinaigrette. (And there were crafts and snacks for the kids too.) It was a simple, fun and unique event. Heck, we all love good food! Everyone had a blast learning about the bounty of local produce available in Madison as well as cooking advice and insights from Chef Rob.

These Stone’s Throw events are great examples ways to support your local community and store’s brand image and personality while creating a very loyal following of consumers that identify with the lifestyle. “There is a lot of competition out there online and in our town, so my job is to create a community with our consumers. A brick and mortar specialty store is about curating a selection of products that the consumer will love and offering them experiences that matter. These organized events relay what our brand is about while giving back to the community,” comments Heather Higgins.